Log classifying machine



Nov. 3, 1953 K. L. a. JoHANssoN Los cLAssIFYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed 0G12. 5, 1951 lllllulllll l lllldrllll. xfmdllllnrllllur..HIIILzrlIIIlU-Ln NOV. 3, 1953 K. 1.. B. JoHANssoN 2,657,785`

LOG CLASSIFYING MACHINE Filed Oct. 3, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedNov. 3, 1953 UNITED?,v BATENT OFFICE I0G .CEASSIFYINGL MACHINEKarl'Lennart Birger J ohansson,AJ onkoping, SwedenrassignorofpartinteresttcGunnar- Gideon Ed'stromr, Jonkoping, Sweden'.Applicatonctoben, 1951,;l SerialNn'. 249, 1:i r

Claimsprierty,application Sweden;-

Deeember 12, 195,0.

In saw mills andv other places fion; collecting', logs,such assaw logs,pulpwood andprops;.the.v logs have to be classifedfaccordingf; .tovthickness, length, quality or other grounds.A r Thisisi-aftime Wastingand trying work when executed. byhand.`

One object of;thefinventionisifte providefvaA mechanical device for fclassifying f logs. which is.; simplev in construction,-Y elective inloperation and" time saving. Another object is to,l prov/ide; such adevice whichV operates f, substantially-3 autometically and deliverstheclassified lumber/at rdiffer-v ent collecting stations such .away-that-it is` dropped; and thereby can easily becollected on railvehicles or trucks:

With these andn othern obj ectsfyi-n the-in,-l ventionf will behereinafter"fully-described .rand illustratedY byway' of arrexampleinr'the:v eccome panying,rl drawing4 in which z Fig'.y l -sa sideelevation,,partlyqinvsectiom of a: device according` to thefinvention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical-sectional. viewsralongli-ne II-II in Fig. 1.

A number'of carriages hier'- transport ioingdividual- Alogs '-tof a1plurality *of` delivers/.stations are provided "with: aiy shaft f2.2withtwo Wheelsnfr Two"U.-shaped guideirails #extendzalcngrparalalel closedpaths in vertical :planesf with? thef-ilanges: directed towardsv each'didier;-v a-ndF-thefwheels are.T locatedbetweeir the' fianigesfA in:each rail:VK As,- shown in the drawing the rails=areecomposedi eachofftwo"horizontaiportionseami tvio halfcirculan?` end pizarticns.y Eachis-kfconf" nected with 4the adjacenitcarriagefbymeansxof ai:conplingmember frmedivbyaa tube 5; invii-ich.'- anoth'er" tube 5a: istelescopieally introduced: se` thatthecdfistarice.Lbetweentheicarriages-myfvaryase' required? whentz. ther carriages'passr:along the.;` end portionsco the rails: Theatubefi-Szriatow thesliaft ofatcarriagezwhereasffthe tirteuia: isfliingedly vconnentedwithAth'esha-ft of: theadjacent carriageso that the," carriages are@connected to J ag chain.

Two downwardly directed armslfareiixedone; at*'each endziofthefshaft 2,andtwosimilar-arms; 'Fare fixedV tox'a transverse frame-portion avhav`lingfitsf-ends' connectedfbyframeportions 8a; with the'farmsv; to whichftheyare'fastened. The frame-portion Bfrests: upon and ,istseeuredjto;-the-- tube' 5` so that eachr` carriagefforx-ns,a` rigidcorrstruction for transport of aA log; H'.

AtL the lowerV ends'ofthearms 1 the one ends' of two log carrying'membersV 9 are hingedly: provided; whilef the other ends restonzfallingflatchesf l0, which are pivotally mounted.-emitheY arms- Gfand are operated by rods l2 for the release of Lib thecarrying,h'lembers.il.A The upperA endsoi theA rodsl2 ,Y arel hingedly fconnectedr with levers Ilsl extending from sleeves secured ,to-atransyershaft I3, and by turning the shaft the..,fal.l ing latches I0releasethecarryingmembers Qisimultaneously.r The shafty I3 isrfurtheratene end providedfwith a hub.for a.release lever l5I andan`r alignmentyarm lliv bymeansuof whichthe hub. which` is not. rotatable `on the.lshaftf can: be ad, ustedry in. lateral direction Theadjnstmentisrperformed by a slide :l1 having ahandleglsv.:

Alongone of the guide rails,4.anuinberof.1 xed release shoulders-i9 areYmounted, onefor; each delivery station comprising.`v a:v collecting;-truck 20, and thefshculders aredisplacedlaterale. 1y `.from eachotherin. such a wayfthat the released lever I5 when, adjusted in .atcertainposition. strikes only a. corresponding shoulder, |9,`Wherebythel log is dropped intnthey desired 4 collecting. truck.

The logs to be classied` arei'ed individually n -their length4 directionon anw-endless conveyor` v 2 I to a., carriage V:placed in. vfront oftheconveyor. which is..,mounted, somewhatinclined, The-log passes overthe carrying members ilv and between, thearms Alifand. .1- fto. a, logreceiver zzgcomprising an endless ,belt 23 ,driven byv chains from a,cmotor,i 24:. Stationarysidewallsl arer provided tokreep'.4 thelogimposition onthe. endless-belt.

The. conveyor 2|- and,l theyr log'.` receiver.k are., mountedon a,common frame. Z'Lhingedly. sup.- ported vat oneendby a `bolt-.Z, whereastheother. end restsY` on a hydraulic jack` 28A by means. of. whichtheframe .can be, raised and lowered.

The receiverfZZ istiltingly.,mountedjon ahaft 34'in bearings supportedby, ther frarne 2.1.,andz Fig. 2 shows vthe receiver in a horizontal end`ypri-f, sition. Normally, however, the receiver-is tipped., byjitsfgravity te the: otherv end position-,1, inl which, it rests againstastud 35; In thist slopinglimsi'-y tion.` theV upperl portions oi? the.Yendless belt, 2.31.' and the conveyor 2r! vare substantiallyparallelyte; each other.

The log is thus pushed on. to theV belt 23' untilVy thepointof'gravity'v has passed the vertical line..- through the sha-ft 3l.whereupon the receiver turns over to its horizontal end position andthelog is v released fromy the conveyor 2|f At the sameA time. the motor2.4 may bestowed. menilalf 1y or by any known device not shown inthedraw,- ing.l By the. hydraulicLv iackl, theframe 21 is now lowered,whereby the log. deliveredupnthecarrymgmembers, and aathe. Conveyor 2|'-is mounted on the same frame it is simultaneous- 3 1y lowered and doesnot form any obstacle for the log.

The whole chain of carriages is now fed a step by means of anotherhydraulic jack 29, the piston rod 30 of which being provided with afeeding tooth 3| cooperating with studs 32 on the shafts 2.

As soon as the log is transferred from the conveyor 2| to a carriage theoperator determines the diameter or other quality of the log and adjuststhe release arm I5 into a position on the shaft I3 which corresponds tothe one of the shoulders I9 which is situated at the desired deliverystation where the log is to be dropped.

The chain of carriages is thereafter moved a step by means of thehydraulic jack 29. When the carrier in this or a subsequent step arrivesat the selected station, the carrying members are released. From hisplace at the receiving carriage the operator may manually start and stopthe conveyor 2| and the endless belt 23, and he can also control bothhydraulic jacks 28, 29 and thus attend to the operation of the wholeclassifying device.

I claim:

1. A log classifying device, comprising a guide rail carrier extendingalong a closed path, a number of carriages supported by and movablealong said guide rail carrier for the transport of individual logs to aplurality of delivery stations, said carriages having log carryingmembers extending in the travelling direction of the carriages andadapted to be released by a falling latch, a conveyor for feedingindividual logs in their length direction transversely to said path andover the carrying members of a carriage while supported by a lowerportion of said guide rail carrier and being placed in front of saidccnveyor, a number of fixed release shoulders provided along said pathone for each delivery station and displaced laterally from each other, alaterally adjustable release lever on each carriage connected with saidfalling latch and adapted to cooperate with a selected one of therelease shoulders, and means for conveying said carriages along saidguide rail carrier.

2. A log classifying device, comprising a guide rail carrier extendingalong a closed path, a number of carriages supported by and movablealong said guide rail carrier for the transport of individual logs to aplurality of delivery stations, said carriages having log carryingmembers extending in the travelling direction of the carriages andadapted to be released by a falling latch, a conveyor for feedingindividual logs in their length direction transversely to said path andover the carrying members of a carriage while supported by a lowerportion of said guide rail carrier and being placed in front of saidconveyor, a vertically adjustable log receiver mounted in front of saidconveyor and extending in its upper position between and above twocarrying members of said carriage so as to deliver the log upon thecarrying members when lowered, a number of xed release shouldersprovided along said path one for each delivery station and displacedlaterally from each other, a laterally adjustable release lever on eachcarriage connected with said falling latch and adapted to cooperate witha selected one of the release shoulders, and means for conveying saidcarriages along said guide rail carrier.

3. A log classifying device, comprising a guide rail carrier extendingalong a closed path, a number of carriages movable along said guide railcarrier for the transport of individual logs to a plurality of deliverystations, said carriages having log carrying members extending in thetravelling direction of the carriages and adapted to be released by afalling latch, a conveyor' for feeding individual logs in their lengthdirection transversely to said path and over the carrying members of acarriage while support-ed by a lower portion of said guide rail carrierand being placed in front of said conveyor, a vertically adjustable logreceiver mounted in front of said conveyor and extending in its upperposition between and above two carrying members of said carriage so asto deliver the log upon the carrying members when lowered, said logreceiver having its log supporting portion formed as an endlessconveyor, a number of fixed release shoulders provided along said pathone for each delivery station and displaced laterally from each other, alaterally adjustable release lever on each carriage connected with saidfalling latch and adapted to cooperate with a selected one of therelease shoulders, and means for conveying said carriages along saidguide rail carrier.

4. A log classifying device, comprising a guide rail carrier extendingalong a closed path, a number of carriages movable along said guide railcarrier for the transport of individual logs to a plurality of deliverystations, said carriages having log carrying members extending in thetravelling direction of the carriages and adapted to be released by afalling latch, a conveyor for feeding individual logs in their lengthdirection obliquely upwards over the carrying members o! a carriageplaced in front of said conveyor, a vertically adjustable log receivermounted in front of said conveyor and extending in its upper pisitionbetween and above two carrying members of said carriage so as to deliverthe log upon the carrying members when lowered, said log receiver havingits log supporting portion mounted tiltable from a position parallel tosaid conveyor to a substantially horizontal position, a number of xedrelease shoulders provided along said path one for each delivery stationand displaced laterally from each other, a laterally ad- `iustablerelease lever on each carriage connected with said falling latch andadapted to cooperate with a selected one of the release shoulders, andmeans for conveying said carriages along said guide rail carrier.

5. A log classifying device, comprising two guide rails having U-formedsections and extending along two vertical, closed and parallel paths,

a number of carriages movable along said guide rails by means of wheelsrunning between the flanges of the rails for the transport of individuallogs to a plurality of delivery stations, Said carriages being connectedone to another by means of coupling members and having log carryingmembers extending in the travelling direction of the carriages andadapted to be released by a falling latch, a conveyor for feedingindividual logs in their length direction tranversally to said path andover the carrying members of a carriage while supported by a lowerportion of said guide rails and being placed in front of said conveyor,a number of xed release shoulders provided along said paths one for eachdelivery station and displaced laterally from each other, a laterallyadjustable release lever on each carriage connected with said fallinglatch and adapted to cooperate with a selected one of the releaseshoulders, and means for conveying said carriages along said guiderails.

6. A log classifying device, comprising a guide rail carrier extendingalong a closed path, a number of carriages movable along said guide railcarrier for the transport of individual logs to a pluality of deliverystations, said carriages having log carrying members extending in thetravelling direction of the carriages and adapted to be released by afalling latch, a conveyor for feeding individual logs in their lengthdirection transversally to said path and over the carrying members of acarriage while supported by a lower portion of said guide rail carrierand being placed in front of said conveyor, a vertically adjustable logreceiver mounted in front of said conveyor and extending in its upperposition between and above two carrying members of said carriage so asto deliver the log upon the carrying members when lowered, said conveyorand said log receiver l5 Number being mounted on a common frame hingedlysupported at one end and resting on a lifting jack at the opposite end,a number of xed release shoulders provided along said path one for eachdelivery station and displaced laterally from each other, a laterallyadjustable release lever on each carriage connected with said fallinglatch and adapted to cooperate with a selected one of the releaseshoulders, and means for conveying said carriages along said guide railcarrier.

KARL LENNART BIRGER J OHANSSON References Cited in the ille of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Nordstrom et al. Aug. 26, 1924Cadman Mar. 19, 1940

